Mystery black mass/scab on hen around tail feathers

[VelcroPoodle]

Hi, new poster and new to treating chickens! My lavender orpington has developed a strange scabby mass at the base of her tail feathers, but not the preening gland. She's generally healthy and laying, but we've been dealing with a lice infestation for a few weeks now. She seems pretty clean of the buggers and nits right now, BUT she's our rooster's favorite girl and HE is the worst of the flock with the lice. I've been keeping up with removing nits and permethrin powder and the rest of the flock is improving, but not him.
All this is to say, my hen with the mass is pretty ragged from feather pulling and mating, plus dealing with the lice. Is this mass an ingrown feather, just abrasion from too much preening... or something else?
How would you recommend treating this scab?

Thanks!!

 

[ChicNmom]

It's hard to say I'd think it was an ingrown /infected feather shaft but there looks to be some bruising. Unless it really irritated or the rooster has been hitting it when he's on her.


One of the expert ladies here mentioned you could soften and remove a scab with dawn dish soap to debride the wound. I think you just put it on the scab and let it set for 15 to 20 minutes to soften it.

The you can see what's under it and clean it or put plain antibiotic ointment on it.

 

[VelcroPoodle]

It's hard to say I'd think it was an ingrown /infected feather shaft but there looks to be some bruising. Unless it really irritated or the rooster has been hitting it when he's on her.


One of the expert ladies here mentioned you could soften and remove a scab with dawn dish soap to debride the wound. I think you just put it on the scab and let it set for 15 to 20 minutes to soften it.

The you can see what's under it and clean it or put plain antibiotic ointment on it.

Okay, I'll consider that! I'm a little hesitant to leave an open wound on her, but I'm also worried there's something under there that needs to come out. Thank you!

 

[Loving my girls]

In my opinion she has been pecking herself because of the itching caused by the mites.
It does bare a visual likeness to a bumble but unless the poor creature walks on her butt it’s unlikely.
I, personally would stick her on some antibiotics. Leave the scab alone and see what happens. If there is no improvement after three days I would separate her into a clean cage and remove the scab, after sitting her in warm water, looking like weak tea from betadine (that will soften the scab) and fill it with an antiseptic cream/ointment then cover with a dressing.
I’d leave her in the cage for a week or until improvement.
that’s what I’d do anyway
Hugz